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- IT'S OLYMPICS TIME
It’s that time again—the Olympics! The summer Olympics! I don’t watch too many sports, although I am familiar with most of them and even played several as a kid, but every two years, I get really into the wild and wonderful sports the Olympics brings us. It has me pumped! It gives me energy!
In 2021, though, I didn’t watch much at all of Tokyo. I was working full-time, I didn’t have cable, and I didn’t subscribe to Peacock (nor was it up to its current quality). I was having a difficult time. And then I heard what happened to Simone Biles, and all the discourse, and it was just too much.
Look, it would be silly if I compared myself to Simone Biles, but her story (note: I do still have to watch the Netflix documentary) does have an eerie parallel to mine these last three years. We’re the same age. In 2021, I had a mental health issue that was indeed career-ending, or so it seemed. I had to leave teaching. And two years later, I returned to teaching. And I made it through a full year.
The other thing the Olympics is providing me these two weeks is some structure. As much as I am trying to write regularly, my only real duty right now is my grad school class. I’m particularly taking it easy because, as I wrote more candidly on Patreon, I am in a hypomanic episode. I haven’t been this way since 2021. And after these three years, I think I am finally ready to fully accept I have bipolar disorder. (Fortunately, I just got a medication adjustment, which is helping immensely.) So. Character development.
And the Olympics, while having the best athletes in the world, still has representation of disability. Gymnast Suni Lee had a rare kidney disease that she only went into remission this year. Katie Ledecky has POTS! Stephen Nedoroscik, a.k.a. the pommel horse guy, has a visual impairment. He does it all by feel.
Regardless, I am just so happy to see that U.S. Gymnastics has moved away from the starving and abuse that was the norm and now has allowed the athletes to grow into strong and powerful women. This was the oldest women’s team since 1952, with Simone the oldest athlete since then! And after missing out watching Tokyo, I’m glad to have seen Jordan Chiles, Suni Lee, and Jade Carey in action.
Here are some other Olympic bits I’ve enjoyed:
Doubles ping-pong. So crowded. So unnecessary to have two people. So chaotic.
The canoe and kayak slalom - they look like they’re fighting for their lives on a raging river. This is my new favorite event.
Tom Daley’s husband and kids watching him dive!
The U.S. Men’s gymnastics team! Including, yes, pommel horse nerd.
So many exciting swimming finals that were down to the hundredths! (Lilly King in her first race sadly tied for 4th by a hundredth of a second…she is from the same city in Indiana that I am and we both went to IU.)
The French changing “Léon!” when Léon Marchand was above water during the breaststroke.
When Katie Ledecky is so far ahead she is swimming one way and everyone else passes her swimming the other way.
The U.S. women winning gold in rugby by running the whole field at the last possible second.
Fundraising transparency
This newsletter is brought to you by…me. Hi. I paid an unexpected $865 in car maintenance last month, which was particularly annoying because I am making less this summer than usual as I am a teacher and I already had some expenses from this summer and on the horizon. So, writing has been my second job! I thought I would give a little update since I asked for help last time.
Birthday gifts from family: $140
PayPal gift: $50
Ko-Fi tip: $10
Books sold: $20 (note: listings currently offline since I am about to go on vacation; they will be back Aug. 12 or so)
So, I’ve made $220 back, leaving me with about a $645 hole from the car maintenance still.
My Patreon currently has no paying subscribers but there is great content on there for free and paid alike! (I would like to expand paid offerings, but not until someone is there to read it. Be the first!)
Feel free to share this newsletter or anything else I do, too! I have also been giving back to people and organizations.
New things I’m excited about
One of my favorite writers, Niko Stratis, and Tuck Woodstock launched Girl Dad Press, an indie publisher focused on trans writers committing to the bit. This grew out of their now-Lambda winning zine, 2 Trans 2 Furious, which is about trans readings of The Fast and the Furious movies and has a silly Animorphs cover. They’re reprinting it. I’m excited to see what the next things from this press will be!
I love the new podcast Sixteenth Minute of Fame from Jamie Loftus (of the hot dog book fame). It delves deep on the humans behind viral internet moments and how the algorithms boosted them to the top.
New Julien Baker interview, for those who celebrate. (I do.)
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